How to Set the Thermostat for an Electric Heat Pump Furnace

by Lee Morgan

The thermostat control the temperature in your house.

Your electric heat pump furnace is responsible for keeping your home’s climate comfortable when the temperatures outside dip or rise out of your comfort zone. Unlike other types of furnaces, the heat pump furnace pulls the heat or cold from the air outside and distributes it through the house instead of simply heating cold air with a flame or heating element. Setting the thermostat on the heat pump furnace will tell it what temperature to maintain in your house. Setting the thermostat is simple, but you should know how to do it properly to avoid discomfort in your home and wasted energy that leads to high utility bills.

Setting the Thermostat

1

Locate your thermostat control panel. The thermostat is generally located in a central location in the house. This is the spot where the system measures the temperature of the surrounding air and determines whether or not to turn on the heat or begin cooling. The panel is sometimes round with a dial to select the temperature, or it may be a rectangular box with a digital readout and various buttons. You will be able to see the current temperature in the house as well as the desired temperature setting.

2

Press the up or down buttons or otherwise turn the dial up or down, depending on the model. This will adjust the desired home temperature. If your home is too cold, adjust the temperature setting up a few degrees. If it’s too hot, dial it down a few degrees. For best efficiency and to save money, set your thermostat at 68 degrees while you are home in the cool weather months of the year. During hot months it is best to set your thermostat to a temperature as warm as you can tolerate without discomfort.

3

If you are heating with the heat pump furnace, turn the switches on the thermostat panel to the “heat” setting. This will ensure the heating mechanism is engaged. Some systems have “off” or “cool” settings, and neither of these will allow your heat pump to operate as a heater. "Cool" settings are used to lower the temperature in the home.

4

Check back in an hour after setting a new temperature to make sure the heat pump is doing its job. Within an hour the system will have had ample time to warm or cool your home to the temperature you’ve selected. If the actual temperature is not at or near the desired temperature then you may have a problem with the system. Call a service technician to check on your heat pump if it appears not to be heating properly.

Tip

Lower your thermostat setting by 10 to 15 degrees when you will be away from home for several hours and while you are sleeping to reduce your energy bills and save electricity or fuel.

Programmable thermostats are available that will further decrease your home's energy usage. These thermostats do not require manual adjustment; you simply set them once to change settings automatically depending on the time of day -- for example, cooler during sleeping hours or when you're at work.

Warning

Do not run your heat pump or furnace on “emergency” settings just because it is very cold outside. Use this setting only when the system is unable to heat your home sufficiently using normal settings. It will cause your system to run continuously and can cost you unnecessary money over the winter.

About the Author

Lee Morgan is a fiction writer and journalist. His writing has appeared for more than 15 years in many news publications including the "Tennesseean," the "Tampa Tribune," "West Hawaii Today," the "Honolulu Star Bulletin" and the "Dickson Herald," where he was sports editor. He holds a Bachelor of Science in mass communications from Middle Tennessee State University.

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